Longitudinal compression oC a tailored-vciocity, intcmc neutralized ion heam hns been demonstmtcd. The compression tnlm plnec in a 1-2 m driit seetion Blled with plam~n to provide spacedierge neutduntioo. An induction cell produces a head-to-tnil velocity ramp that longitudinally compresses theneutrdized beam, enhancingthe b-peak current hyafndor of 50 audprodudag a pulse duration OC about 3 us. T h i s m m e m e n t hns been confirmed indopmdsntly with two darercot diagnostic eystems. The simultaneous l m v e r a e nnd longihdinal compression oI an ion heam is reguired t o achieve the high intensities necrssnry to create high energy density matter and fusion conditions. A recent driver study for inertial fusion, for Longitudinal compression of space-chargedominated beams has been studied extensively intheory and simulations [ll-E]. The compression is initiated by imposing a linear head-to-tail velocity tilt to a driitiig beam. Longitudinal space-&urge forces limit the beam compression ratio, the ratio oI the initial to i i nmal current, to about ten in most applications. iments on NDCX. To provjde the head-ta-tail velocity tilt, aninduction module withvariablewltagewaveronn is placed immedintely downstream of the last quadrupole mnpet. This is IoUmved hy a neutralized drii section which consists of a one -meter-long plasma column produced hy an AI cathodic cm: [ZO]. A diagnostic hmc is located at the downstream end of the plwarna column Thebeampmducedfromthesourcehasa5 paflat-top. The inductiontit voltage 'c~rves' out a -300 115 segment ofthe flat-top which compresseslongitudinallyas it driits through the plasma column. The final compressed beam is m e w e d in the dormetrenm diagnostic box.The induction cell consists oi 14 independently-driven magnetic cores in a preastnizad gas @Fa) region that is separated Erom the vnouum by a conventional high voltage insulator. The rvnveforms applied t o the 14 coria inductively add at the acceleration gap. Each core is driveu by a thyratronawitched modulator. Because the modulntor for each core can be designed to produce different waveiorms and can be triggered independently, a variety or wavdorms CM bs produced nt the acceleration gap using the 14 discrete building bloclw.The plasma column is formed hy two pulsed a u m i n u m cathodic arc sources loceted at the d m s t r e a m ond. Each source is equipped with a 45O open-arcutechm
We have demonstrated experimental techniques to provide active neutralization for space-charge dominated beams as well as to prevent uncontrolled ion beam neutralization by stray electrons. Neutralization is provided by a localized plasma injected from a cathode arc source. Unwanted secondary electrons produced at the wall by halo particle impact are suppressed using a radial mesh liner that is positively biased inside a beam drift tube. We present measurements of current transmission, beam spot size as a function of axial position, beam energy and plasma source conditions. Detailed comparisons with theory are also presented.
The Heavy Ion Fusion Science Virtual National Laboratory (HIFS-VNL), a collaboration of LBNL, LLNL, and PPPL, has achieved 60-fold pulse compression of ion beams on the Neutralized Drift Compression eXperiment (NDCX) at LBNL. In NDCX, a ramped voltage pulse from an induction cell imparts a velocity "tilt" to the beam; the beam's tail then catches up with its head in a plasma environment that provides neutralization. The HIFS-VNL's mission is to carry out studies of Warm Dense Matter (WDM) physics using ion beams as the energy source; an emerging thrust is basic target physics for heavy ion-driven Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE). These goals require an improved platform, labeled NDCX-II. Development of NDCX-II at modest cost was recently enabled by the availability of induction cells and associated hardware from the decommissioned Advanced Test Accelerator (ATA) facility at LLNL. Our initial physics design concept accelerates a ∼30 nC pulse of Li + ions to ∼3 MeV, then compresses it to ∼1 ns while focusing it onto a mm-scale spot. It uses the ATA cells themselves (with waveforms shaped by passive circuits) to impart the final velocity tilt; smart pulsers provide small corrections. The ATA accelerated electrons; acceleration of non-relativistic ions involves more complex beam dynamics both transversely and longitudinally. We are using analysis, an interactive one-dimensional kinetic simulation model, and multidimensional Warp-code simulations to develop the NDCX-II accelerator section. Both LSP and Warp codes are being applied to the beam dynamics in the neutralized drift and final focus regions, and the plasma injection process. The status of this effort is described.
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